For this to work, McGwire needs to be honest
Even token admission is likely to garner sympathy, minimize distractions
 | Former St. Louis Cardinals star Mark McGwire embarrassed himself during a 2005 congressional hearing about steroids, writes Stan McNeal. |
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Coming soon: A "confession" from Mark McGwire.
The reasons: To begin rebuilding his image, enhance his chances of making the Hall of Fame and be able to return to baseball in relative peace.
The setting: As part of his new job as Cardinals' hitting coach, the club expects McGwire to make himself available to the media "sooner rather than later." McGwire's hiring was announced Monday at a news conference at Busch Stadium that he did not attend. The club said it did not ask him to make the trip from Southern California to St. Louis but it plans to hold a conference call with the media perhaps this week.
Mark McGwire embarrassed himself during a 2005 congressional hearing about steroids. What he'll "confess:" Probably not much if McGwire follows the pattern of previous sluggers linked to steroids. Still, to make this work, he'll need to offer a few details about the past.
Look for McGwire to say this will be a one-time deal and from here on, he will talk about his hitters and new his job. Whatever he says or doesn't confess, the Cardinals will support him.
Owner Bill DeWitt: "At some point, he knows he's going to have to face up to it. Once he does that, he'll move forward. It's his call how he wants to handle it. After a certain point, there's only so much you could say."
Manager Tony La Russa: "It's up to Mark to handle however he wants. He's our hitting coach. We need him to coach our hitters. If he does that really well, we'll be happy with him. One of the reasons he was hired was not to give members of the media a shot to get after him."
GM John Mozeliak: "We're going to make Mark available. How he answers questions is up to him. We've looked at what he's contributed to baseball and look at it in a very positive way. More important, we think his attributes can make us better."
DeWitt said he is not worried the hire will produce much backlash from fans or media.
Will the "confession" work? Yes, as long as McGwire uses the word "mistake" in the same sentence as "I" and "made."
McGwire, remember, never tested positive for steroids. He stopped playing long before testing and the Mitchell Report became part of baseball. He was convicted in the court of public opinion for his slugging exploits and for humiliating himself at a 2005 congressional hearing. "I'm not here to talk about the past," he repeated.
Four years after his embarrassing testimony, even a token admission is likely to garner McGwire enough sympathy to go about his new job with a minimum of distractions. And it won't hurt his chances at Cooperstown.
But really, a hitting coach? La Russa fired Hal McRae after five years to give McGwire this opportunity even though McGwire's experience is limited to working with selected hitters in the offseason. Apparently, that was enough to win him the endorsement of Albert Pujols, who, according to La Russa, talks fondly of the mentoring he received from McGwire during his rookie season.
The return of La Russa (and pitching coach Dave Duncan), though expected, also was made official Monday. Once the manager figured he was returning, he reached out to McGwire. For several years since McGwire's retirement in 2001, La Russa has invited the slugger to spring training as a special instructor. Last Monday, La Russa offered him more.
"I don't have a lot of years left to manage and I wanted to take this opportunity to invite a guy that I think has a very special talent," La Russa said.
Was he surprised when McGwire said yes?
"I was surprised that right away he started asking questions," La Russa said. "That got my attention that he's really considering this. The next day, we exchanged texts. As soon as he started showing interest, I know Mark. He's a very sincere guy."
As McGwire's former manager and biggest ally, La Russa's other motive for bringing him back is to help the slugger's image. "He's a good guy," La Russa said. Since retiring in 2001, McGwire virtually has been a baseball recluse, choosing instead to golf, work out and raise his boys in Orange County, California.
With his youngest sons now school age, McGwire has decided to return. First comes the "confession." Look for McGwire to be a bit more forthcoming this time.
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